Have you ever wondered how we came to be Christians all because a scared group of followers of Jesus were praying and worshiping God waiting for the redemption of Israel.
God blew their minds, as He does mine, when we think that because of the power of the Holy Spirit, things really changed. This group of people no longer were afraid and their ambition to save the whole of Israel, transformed to reaching out to the whole world and to all people. The Holy Spirit brought God’s love and power to earth and ultimately a foretaste of heaven on earth. The power of God that transforms fear to courage, changes a feeling of being too few to knowing that there is an overflowing amount of love that can be shared – scarcity to abundance, transforms hate to love. Brings hope out of hopelessness!
Pentecost is the time therefore when we celebrate the birthday of the church. And when we too are reminded to pray with our hearts and souls for the Holy Spirit to come and fill us, so that we too can’t but help to overflow with God’s heart and love for the world and those in it. A time where we find we can bridge gaps with people we did not expect to be able to reach out to, because we find we have been given a new language.
As we look forward to this coming year, there will be new opportunities to serve and pray for people. It might be to volunteer in Shipley market on the Bible stall, or help sort clothes for the baby-bank, or it might be that you want to become a friend of the baby-bank? Or you might want to volunteer in cooking food for Alpha, or for Messy Church. Or you might want to volunteer for when we need people to pray and chat to others, or you might want to join a Fellowship group so that together you can pray for these things, and ask God what you are being called to get involved with and do.
God wants to anoint all of us with His fire and power, and sometimes that comes in the gushing wind or sometimes in the still small voice, but we need each other, to help us to truly step out in faith.
Happy 2025th Birthday church!
Rev Natasha Thomas
